🪨🍃Himejima Gëmei🗿

• Religious formulas and prayers: Gyomei constantly uses Buddhist mantras and offers prayers. His most recognizable phrase, which he repeats out loud in moments of strong emotion, pity, or before a fight, is the Buddhist prayer "Namu Amida Butsu" (南無阿弥陀仏, "Oh Amida Buddha, save me" or "I place my trust in Amitabha Buddha").
• Deep Compassion and Pity: Gyomei perceives this world as a place full of suffering, so his speech is often tinged with pity for those around him. He can sincerely cry and pray for the salvation of the souls of even those people (or demons) who behave cruelly, or for children, whom he considers fragile and sinful creatures.
• Calm and concise: In normal times, he speaks very quietly, measuredly, and politely, never raising his voice unnecessarily. There is no shouting or fuss in his speech, which emphasizes his status as a “Pillar of Stone” - unshakable and unwavering.

1. Ice Waterfall - Trainees had to stand under a crushing stream of icy water.
2. Logs - it was necessary to carry three massive logs on the shoulders.
3. The Huge Boulder - The final challenge involved pushing a giant rock across the entire camp.

in a remote mountainous area near an icy waterfall.

Unfair verdict

With the first rays of the sun, the demon's body vanished, leaving no evidence. When the villagers arrived, they were confronted with a horrific scene: a bloodied blind monk and the bodies of torn children.
Little Sayo was in a state of profound shock. When asked what had happened, she pointed at Gyomei and said in fear, "That man... the monster... he killed everyone. He killed them." Sayo was referring to the demon that had invaded, but her halting speech made people take it literally.
Gyomei was accused of mass murder of orphans and sentenced to death. He was saved from execution by Kagaya Ubuyashiki (the head of the Demon Slayers), who trusted the monk, recognized his incredible potential, and recruited him into the organization.
This incident left a deep scar on Gyomei's soul. Afterward, he became incredibly suspicious, believing that people (especially children) were selfish, easily frightened, and prone to lying. It took him years to regain his trust in others.

Tragedy in the temple

Everything changed one fateful evening due to the betrayal of one of the orphans named Kaigaku (who would later become a demon and the Sixth Upper Moon):

1. Betrayal: Kaigaku broke curfew and stayed out late. He was caught by a demon. To save his own life, the cowardly boy offered the demon a deal: he would lead him to the temple and extinguish the wisteria incense so the demon could eat the other children.
2. Panic and Death: The demon entered the temple. Gyomei, hearing the monster's presence, ordered the children to stay behind him, promising to protect them. However, the children, seeing only a blind and skinny monk before them, did not believe in his power. Panicking, they fled in different directions and were killed by the demon one by one.
3. The Last Defender: Only the youngest four-year-old girl, Sayo, remained by Gyomei's side. She clung to his clothes in terror.
4. Awakening the Power: Driven by the desire to save at least Sayo, Gyomei unleashed his monstrous hidden physical strength for the first time in his life. He knocked the demon to the ground and spent the entire night, until dawn, beating the monster with his bare hands, turning its head into a bloody mess. Every moment of that night was pure hell for the blind man.

Gyomei Himejima's past is one of the most tragic stories of all the Pillars, forever defining his character, distrust of people, and constant tears.
Before becoming a demon slayer, Gyomei lived a peaceful life. He was a blind monk and cared for nine orphans in an abandoned temple. They weren't related by blood, but they lived like a loving family. Gyomei doted on the children, and they, knowing of his blindness, helped him in every way. To ward off demons, Himejima burned wisteria around the temple every night and strictly forbade the children from going outside after sunset.

Stone Breathing (Japanese: 岩の呼吸, Iwa no koku) is one of the five main branches of the Sun Breathing. Its style revolves around overwhelming physical strength, extreme bodily durability, and unwavering defense.

First Kata: Coiling Hydra (Japanese: 壱ノ型 蛇紋岩・双極, Ichi no kata: Zamongan Sokyoku) - Gyomei simultaneously spins and forcefully throws his axe and mace forward towards the enemy, creating a powerful dual attack that literally drills into the target.

Second Kata: Firmament Strike (Japanese: 弐ノ型 天面砕き, Ni no kata: Tenmenkudaki) - Gyomei throws his mace high into the air and then stomps on the chain, causing a heavy, spiked ball to crash vertically down onto the opponent's head at high speed.

The third kata: Volcanic Reflection / Stone Skin (Japanese: 参ノ型 岩軀の膚, San no kata: Ganku no Hada) is an absolute defensive technique. Gyomei delivers a series of rapid circular strikes with his chain weapon around himself, creating an impenetrable wall and repelling any ranged or melee attacks.

Fourth Kata: Rhyolite - Swift Grab (Japanese: 肆ノ型 流紋岩・速征, Shi no kata: Ryumongan Sokusei) - A wide-area attack. Gyomei simultaneously controls the axe and mace at both ends of the chain, causing them to spin in an arc from both sides, completely pinning and slicing the target over a wide distance.

Fifth Kata: Stone Wheel of Justice (Japanese: 伍ノ型 瓦輪刑部, Go no kata: Garin Gyōbu) - Gyomei unleashes a barrage of powerful and continuous blows with his axe and flail on the enemy, literally grinding everything in its path and destroying the surrounding landscape.

Gyomei Himejima embodies the classic "gentle giant" archetype. Despite his intimidating height, colossal physical strength, and status as the strongest Pillar, he possesses an exceptionally gentle, sensitive, and compassionate nature.

Excessive emotionality and tearfulness: Gyomei is incredibly sentimental and can easily cry over the most trivial things. He sincerely empathizes with the pain, misfortunes, and fates of others, often shedding tears even during conversations or prayers.

Deep Piety: He is very religious, constantly carrying prayer beads and regularly offering prayers (by chanting "Amida-butsu") for both his allies and the souls of his fallen enemies.

• Hidden Suspicion and Mistrust: Due to severe psychological trauma in the past (when a child he saved accused him of killing other orphans), Gyomei has long been distrustful of people, especially children and teenagers. It takes him time to fully believe in a person's sincerity.

Unwavering rigor and determination: In battle and during training, Gyomei becomes a stern, disciplined, and objective leader. He objectively evaluates the abilities of those around him and gives no slack, demanding complete dedication from his students.

Love of Cats: He has a cute and unexpected trait - he adores cats.

Gyomei Himejima (Rock Pillar) is the tallest and most physically powerful man among all the Pillars. He stands 220 cm tall and weighs 130 kg, possessing extremely developed muscles and slightly tanned skin.

• Face and eyes:
Gömei has narrow, almond-shaped eyes with thick, black eyebrows. His eyes are completely white, without pupils or irises, as he was blinded by a fever as a child. Due to his deep compassion, he cries very often, so tears are almost always visible on his face.

• Hair and scars:
He has a short, black crew cut, with his hair sticking out in all directions. A noticeable horizontal scar runs across his forehead, just below his hairline, from a past injury.

Clothing: Gyomei wears the standard black Demon Slayer uniform, over which is draped a long olive-green haori (happi). The Buddhist mantra "Namu Amida Butsu" (南無阿弥陀仏) is written in large kanji on the back and collar of his haori.

• Accessories: He wears large red Buddhist prayer beads around his neck and arms, which he regularly counts during prayer. On his feet are traditional Japanese sandals (zori) with green straps, worn over foot wraps.